Information Technology News

NACS EG Staff Moving to MSTB (Building #415)

The NACS staff housed in Engineering Gateway are moving to the Multipurpose Science and Technology Building (MSTB).  Effective Monday, February 2nd, staff will be located on the second floor of the MSTB building, number 415 on the campus map.   The NACS Response Center will be located in MSTB 242.

All telephone numbers will remain the same, as will our ZotCode.  Our mailing address for intra-campus mail will be:

Network and Academic Computing Services
Individual’s name
ZotCode 2225

The NACS instructional computing labs and data center located in Engineering Gateway, and the NACS staff located in University Research Park, will remain in their current locations.

Moving Bulk Data

Data transfer is a routine activity for most faculty, whether it’s sharing research data with colleagues, downloading research databases, or backing up vital data.  When the volume of data you’re transferring is in the tens or hundreds of megabytes, any tool can get the job done.  When you have gigabytes, or tens of gigabytes of data to move, more strategy is called for.

The tool and strategy you should use depends on the kind of data you have, the size of the data, whether you need to do the transfer once or repeatedly, and the computer and tools you’re most comfortable with.  Some ideas are outlined below, but NACS’s Research Computing Support maintains a detailed discussion with links to sites from which you can get data transfer tools.

Two basic strategies exist which can reduce the actual volume of data you need to transfer: compression and synchronization.  Unless your data is already in a compressed form (say, MP3 files), compression can save a great deal of time and network capacity.  Many transfer tools can even do on-the-fly compression.  If your files contain sensitive information, you may wish to consider encrypting the data you’re transferring, although this imposes a small time penalty.

The second strategy, particularly when you’re regularly moving the same data, is to use a synchronization tool that recognizes that only part of your data is new and needs to be transferred.  This can be particularly convenient if you have an entire directory tree you wish to send over the network.

A final technique which might apply in some cases is to make the best possible use of the network, either by setting up multiple parallel data-transfer streams, or even creating a special-purpose GridFTP node.  RCS staff can help you analyze your data transfer needs, choose a method, and set up your system.

RCS staff will also coordinate with NACS Network Engineers to ensure they are aware of research data transfer needs in various campus locations.  This will help inform future network upgrade plans.  In addition, in a few cases, it may be possible to upgrade network connections to higher speed to support critical research requirements.

Webfiles – Collaborative File Sharing

Webfiles is a NACS service which offers a collaborative filesharing environment. Available to UCI faculty, staff and graduate students, Webfiles provides 1 gigabyte of space in which to place any type of electronic data — documents, spreadsheets, data files, binary media files, etc. These files can easily be shared, with read-only or read-write privileges, with other campus Webfiles users. The Webfiles system also offers “tickets,” which can facilitate sharing or collaborative editing with your colleagues outside of UCI.

file sharing

Among other features of this service, you can specify tickets which limit access time or number of uses, you can log all accesses to particular files, and Webfiles can maintain multiple versions of files being modified.

Webfiles is a good alternative to the use of email attachments, especially for those projects which involve large files, or require repeated revisions among several collaborators.

Webfiles training is offered quarterly.  You can find out when the next session is scheduled at the NACS Training website .

Wireless Network Update

NACS has recently completed an upgrade to UCI’s wireless network.

We have now retired all the old Lucent 802.11b wireless access points (APs).  These APs were about 9 years old and were only able to support the original wireless networking (”wi-fi”) standard, with comparatively low speeds.  Each of them has been replaced with a new Cisco 802.11a/b/g access point, meaning it can support three current wi-fi standards, and you can now connect at the fastest transfer speed of which your mobile device is capable.

In addition to faster speeds, the new APs support the Cisco Wireless Internet Service Module (WISM) standard, with all its advantages.  Not only are these APs dynamically configured from a central control system, allowing maximum signal strength and throughput as demand shifts, they allow “seamless roaming” so that you can move within the range of all the Cisco APs without dropping your connection.

A final advantage to the Cisco APs is that they all support Express Registration, which means you don’t have to pre-authorize your mobile device, nor do you have to arrange in advance for access for your guests.  Originally limited to a few sites on campus, Express Registration is now widely available.  A list of locations where Express Registration is available, along with additional information about the service, is maintained online.  NACS expects to add more Cisco WISM APs over time, subject to available funding.

NACS and DUE Team Up

In summer 2007, the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) and NACS agreed to partner in providing information technology (IT) support services to DUE departments and programs. Under the new partnership, DUE’s IT support team members joined NACS and became a part of the Web Technologies Group under the direction of Shohreh Bozorgmehri.

DUE has extensive IT needs in the areas of file and web server management, desktop support, database administration, and application development.

Its nearly one hundred staff members administer a wide range of support programs that serve the undergraduate population at UCI, including but not limited to tutorial services, academic advising, and study abroad programs. These needs are currently met by a DUE-IT team consisting of the Director, seven staff, and one student programmer.

The DUE-IT team members in turn have access to a range of technical knowledge and expertise within the NACS organization. Sharon Salinger, Dean of Undergraduate Education who proposed the partnership, praised the success of the venture. “By moving DUE-IT to NACS we capitalized on the depth and breadth of knowledge and support within NACS,” she said.  “Our IT staff joined a more productive environment and the Division benefited from superb leadership and project management.”

In the past year, the NACS DUE-IT team provided a range of services to DUE and through DUE to the campus undergraduate community. Student tracking, previously managed on paper and in Microsoft Office products, is now handled through a web-based system for Student Academic Advancement Services and Transfer Student Services. DUE-IT staff worked with the Office of Admissions to consolidate numerous separate data exchanges into one central and secure feed. Internal code, database, and file permissions audits were conducted and extensive searches were conducted for unsecured sensitive information, greatly enhancing DUE’s IT security.

Currently, the DUE-IT team is working on a range of projects, including the overhaul of the Undecided/Undeclared Office’s workshop systems, the consolidation and streamlining of central DUE data systems, and implementation of a central student ID card reader system to allow DUE offices to more efficiently serve students. Additional information about the DUE-IT partnership can be found online.

Online Telecommuncations Service Request Form

NACS clients are asked to use our online service request form for making network and telecommunications service requests.  Orders for telephones and lines, wired and wireless network services,  voice mail services, cellular services, calling cards, 800 Mhz radio services, conference unit rental, account fund changes and other telecommunications services are all possible through the use of the online order form.  Requests for telephone and network services at the same location can be ordered together with a single form.

Orders are reviewed, dispatched to the appropriate team for processing, scheduled, and completed typically within five business days.  Orders for 10 or more services require longer lead times.  NACS will do our best to meet any client deadline.

Once an order is in the system, you will receive email confirmation, and you will be able to check on its status online.  A set of administrative tools allows you to review or search through open orders.

If you need assistance with your order, need to make changes to it, or cancel it, or if you would like to check on the feasibility of a tight deadline, contact NACS Telecommunications Customer Support at x45123 or nacs-tcs@uci.edu.